German armament for killer drones of the Turkish military

Between March 14 and June 30, 2018, the new Merkel government approved five arms sales valued at 418,279 euros.

ANF

NEWS DESK

Monday, 17 Sep 2018, 08:00

The rockets of the armed drones of the Turkish military were developed by the German weapons producer TDW and the production license was sold to Turkey.

The heads of the missiles, which are used to equip the armed drones of the Turkish military, were developed by the German weapons producer TDW and their production license was sold to Turkey. TDW received almost 300,000 euros from Turkey for the plans of the so-called "killer missile system".

After the occupation of Afrin in violation of international law, the Federal Government declared that arms sales to Turkey had been reduced. However, the Federal Government acted in the face of broad calls for an arms embargo against Turkey purely symbolic. The "arms friendship" between Berlin and Ankara deepened even further in recent weeks and months. This is shown, for example, by the Federal Government's response to a question from the DIE LINKE group on arms deliveries in the first six months of 2018.

Plans for "domestic rockets" come from Germany

The response of the Ministry of Economy states that two arms-supply agreements between TDW and the Turkish State have been approved. Both contracts had a total volume of 290,000 euros.

TDW is one of the European developers of missile systems. It is an offshoot of the company MBDA active in France and Italy. According to research by ANF, TDW, with the approval of the German Federal Government, has taken on the task of drafting the warheads of the OMTAS rockets designated by the Erdoğan government as "locally produced".

With TDW-developed warheads, the OMTAS rockets can now be carried by Turkish military drones and, according to TDW, are able to hit moving targets for up to four kilometers day and night. They were equipped by TDW with the ability to switch targets even after the launch.

TDW produces killer missiles

The OMTAS missiles can be fired from both a tripod and drones. TDW is being aggressively protested by peace activists in Germany for supporting the production of "killer missiles" for Turkey and other dictatorships. These missiles allow direct extralegal executions by drones. The company TDW, headquartered in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, repeatedly sells the warhead licenses to foreign companies, including the Turkish company ROKETSAN.

By paying the license fee, the Turkish state can use TDW technology to produce as many rockets as it wants. With this method, German companies can easily earn money without the control of the federal government. The Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security (BITS) also points to TDW in its report on arms and ammunition exports under German responsibility. The report speaks of the contribution of weapons produced and designed in Germany to the deaths of many people worldwide, with TDW in particular playing an important role. The steering rockets developed by this company have bunker-breaking properties and would therefore cause the death of even more people.

License from Germany - production in Turkey

Now it has become known that between March 14 and June 30, 2018, the new Merkel government approved five arms sales valued at 418,279 euros. Between January 1, 2018 and March 13, 2018, i.e. the phase of the illegal attack and the occupation of Afrin, the German government approved 34 arms sales worth ten million euros to Turkey. Last year, 138 arms sales to the regime in Ankara worth 34 million euros were approved. In 2016, this figure was 83.9 million euros.

Undoubtedly, the reason for the apparent decrease in arms sales to the Erdoğan regime is not the fear of criticism due to the support of the increasingly repressive Turkish state. It is said that most exports have been replaced by license agreements such as TDW. As a result of the increase in its own arms production, Turkey has therefore reduced its imports.